The Price of a Life
by Cambria Jane
Summary: Lucy is gravely injured on a mission and saving her life costs Natsu something dear to him. NaLu pairing - other major characters appear as well.
1. The Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. This is a fan written fictional story using the original characters created by Hiro Mashima.  
Image credit goes to MeLikeCan on Deviantart

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Lucy stifled a yawn with her hand and fought the urge to lay her head on her desk. She had been reading and researching for a little over two weeks now with little sleep, but she felt so close to unraveling the answers that she was after that she couldn't stop.

Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, she saw that it was a little after 5 PM; it surprised her that she wasn't hungry at all. Her eating and sleeping schedule was all out of whack. Everyone else would be gathered in the bar and eating soon, but still, she had to figure this out before she could rest.

After a few more minutes of trying to focus on the page before her, she decided that a quick shower and a light snack might help her wake up a little. Stretching her arms over her head, she wandered into her bathroom and began peeling her clothes off and roughly throwing them in the hamper.

Standing before her bathroom mirror fully unclothed, she gingerly touched the angry looking pink scar that spread over the right side of her chest. Her eyes wandered to the fading bruises and healing lacerations along her hips, thighs, right shoulder, and just a touch of shadow still along her left jawline. She sighed and turned to step into the shower.  
She immediately felt her muscles and mind begin to unwind as she came in contact with the steaming, hot water. It was a comforting feeling, like someone wrapping their arms around you in a warm hug. She briefly thought of the night three weeks ago when she woke up half dead in Natsu's warm embrace. It was amazing how such a simple thing could give so much comfort to a wounded, fearful heart. She smiled at how much her heart had grown dependent on Natsu's strength.

Her thoughts continued to linger on Natsu; he hadn't been the same since they came back from their last mission. It broke her heart to watch him, sullen and withdrawn from everyone, especially her. It was unlike him, and the worst part is she knew that it was her fault. Even with the hot water streaming down her face, she felt the tears come.

She couldn't believe that it had already been three weeks since they got back; it felt like so much longer. Time trudged on for her, especially since she spent most of it alone, researching endlessly. For the hundredth time, her thoughts lead her to the beginning of their mission; they had traveled to a city that was quite a bit farther than they were used to, which made Natsu grumpy because of the train ride. The trip started off just like any other….

| 4 Weeks Earlier |

Erza sat on the train seat next to Lucy studying a map of the area that they would be travelling through. Gray and Wendy both sat in the opposite seat. Wendy was chattering away with Charle about something or other, and Gray stared out the window with a bored look on his face.

"Lucy... Lucy! Did you hear me?"

"Oh! Sorry Erza! I was thinking about something else. What did you say?" Lucy asked reproachfully. Erza gave a patient sigh and crossed her arms. "I asked you if you thought we should bunk at the inn in town or if we should head towards the mountain pass straightaway and camp out along the way."

"Oh..uh..ha, wouldn't you like to go to the inn?"

"No, we would waste two hours of daylight if we hung around," was all that Erza said in reply.

"Right. The mountain pass it is!" Lucy said with too much enthusiasm, but she visibly wilted a bit. She should have saw that coming. She had been hoping that they could stay in town so that she could peruse a couple of old bookstores she had heard about. Leave it to Erza to get right down to business.

Lucy sighed as she continued to stare out of the window and let her mind wander.

The last couple of hours of the train ride passed quickly; they had all gotten in a pretty good nap, except Erza, who insisted on staying alert. Natsu spent most of the ride on the deck, crumpled up in a corner and nursing his motion sickness. He really was useless when it came to transportation. Happy came and went between the two places, but spent most of it with Natsu.

After they got Natsu in working order again, they stopped at a market to grab a few provisions. Lucy bought a new quill and some hard candies for later; she had hoped to finish a couple of chapters of her book during this trip. Of course, that all depended on how much down time Erza allowed them. Lucy had slipped her a new romance novel just before the trip started so that Erza would want more down time to read, which would mean everyone got more breaks. Lucy chuckled at her own cleverness.

Once they had stocked up, they took the road East out of town and towards the Kado mountain pass. Erza briefed them on their mission for the 10th time since they left Magnolia. "Ok, so, just to review, Duke Remington requested that we travel to the Eastern side of the mountains. People, livestock, supplies and food have been taken from the town, even young women have been taken. The Duke believes that there is a band of raiders that have an encampment on the Eastern side. We don't know what their goal is or why they're here, but our job is to subdue the raiders and retrieve the missing townspeople and as much of the town's missing items as we can."

Lucy listened intently and thought of the women. How horrible it would be to be helplessly ripped from your home and family for who knows what reason; she shuddered at the possibilities. Natsu glanced at her with a wicked grin on his face; Lucy jumped knowing to fear that look.

Natsu wiggled his eyebrows and held up a flaming hand. "What's the matter? You cold Luce?"

"Eeeh?! NO! Wh...why do you ask?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Oh, well. I thought if you were cold, I could try a new fire technique on you that I've been dying to practice."

Lucy immediately pulled away. "Whaaa?! You're the devil!" Natsu let out a laugh, "Let me know if you change your mind."

"Like I would!"

The group continued on this way, talking and laughing, until it grew too dark to safely walk anymore. Erza barked out orders to the group, "Wendy, Charle and Lucy, get the tent set up and the bed rolls out. Happy and Natsu, get a fire going and bring out our provisions for dinner. Gray, go find us some water and hopefully a place to bathe."

Happy asked, "What are you going to do Erza?"

"Me? I'll just be over here keeping an eye on the road and studying the map…"

"You mean reading your book," Lucy breathed.

"Did you say something Lucy?"

"What? Nothing! I didn't say anything!"

With a skeptical look pointed at Lucy, Erza retreated to edge of the clearing where they were setting up camp and turned her back to them.

It did not take them long to set up camp and have dinner. After they cleaned up from dinner, they each crawled into their bedrolls under the large canvas lean to to sleep. Erza had placed wards on the camp that made it invisible to people passing by and also alerted Erza when people were near.

Lucy lay on her back in between Natsu and Erza and listened to all the night's sounds in the woods. She fell asleep listening to the wind in the trees and thinking about the next chapter in her book.

Lucy started awake a few hours later. Her head pounded, and her body felt chilled. She couldn't remember, but she had been dreaming about something terrible. It left her with an empty, hollow feeling in her chest. She peeked around to see if she had disturbed any of her friends sleeping next to her. Everyone still seemed asleep.

She was shivering violently, and the dream left her feeling cold and empty on the inside too. She laid there for a few moments unsure of what she should do.

She got an idea but blushed at the thought of actually doing it. Natsu's temperature ran much hotter than everyone else's; he always felt warm to the touch. If she could just get close enough without him noticing, she could maybe leach a little warmth off of him. He's so oblivious he would never think anything of it.

She peeked over at Natsu and saw that he was sound asleep. She slowly wiggled her body closer to his until her side was just flush with his. She waited a moment to see if he would adjust to her close proximity and breathed a sigh of relief when he did not. She always marveled at him. Somehow his warmth and faith in people's hearts always made her own heart feel calm and full. It wasn't just the warmth that comes with being a fire mage; it was the warmth of his heart and soul resonating with those around him. He was a pillar to his friends, his family; she was amazed at how much she had grown to need him in her life, at how much she needed everyone in Fairy Tail in her life. They were now her only family.

As Lucy was lost in her thoughts, Natsu slowly opened an eye and focused it on her. He could still feel her shivering next to him. He kicked up his body heat a little bit. Within just a few moments, he could feel Lucy's shivering subside and her body begin to relax. He closed his eye when he heard her sigh at the relief his warmth provided her.

Natsu smiled to himself; he had woken up before she had due to her trembling and slight thrashing. He was on the verge of waking her up himself when she started awake. He chose not to divulge that he was awake, letting her work it out for herself but still keeping an eye on her.

At first, he didn't understand why she had scooted closer, until he felt her shivering. Cold did not affect him or Gray like it did most people. He felt a strange flutter in his stomach as her arm brushed his when she got closer to him. It almost felt like a shock went through him. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it was unusual.

With that, they both drifted back to a peaceful sleep until morning.

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I would love it if you would let me know what you thought. Have a beautiful day! - Cambria Jane


	2. The Vision

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. This is a fan written fictional story using the original characters created by Hiro Mashima.  
Image credit goes to MeLikeCan on Deviantart

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Lucy woke up in the morning to Happy jumping up and down on her singing that she was a lazy fish.

"Do you wanna die, Cat?" Lucy grumbled and attempted to roll over. When she realized it was light out and that all the other bedrolls were gone, she launched herself out of bed in a panic.

The rest of the group were all sitting some feet away around the fire eating breakfast. They stared at her oddly for the sudden disruption of their meal. She suddenly felt self conscious. She knew her clothes were rumpled, and her hair and face had to be a mess from the rough night she had. "Why didn't you wake me?" Lucy complained, a little embarrassed that she overslept.

Erza responded in a warm tone, "We thought we'd let you sleep in a bit. Natsu said that you had a rough night."

With a gasp and a burning blush flaring across her face, she turned to study Natsu, who was busy eating and arguing with Gray over who would get Lucy's food if she was too sick to eat. _Does he know about what I did last night?_ She thought she had been discreet, and there seemed to be no evidence that he was awake at the time. She internally groaned. That's humiliating even if it is just Natsu.

Natsu realized she was staring at him. "Yeah!" He said through a mouth full of food. "You tossed and turned all night and only punched me in the face four or five times! You ok? You look a bit flushed."

"Oh...yeah….I'll just go wash up," she finished lamely. "You said the stream was this way, Gray?" A grunt was all she got in reply.

After breakfast had been cleared and everything had been repacked, they set off again. The morning weather was pleasant, warm and breezy, but Lucy was still nursing her headache from last night.

Everyone noticed that she was more quiet and withdrawn than usual. Most wondered what the matter was but said nothing.

When it neared lunchtime, Wendy fell to the back of the group to walk alongside Lucy, who had a hand to the side of her head and wore an uncomfortable expression.

"Lucy," Wendy whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I've had a really bad headache since last night, and it's gotten a little worse the last couple of hours."

"Oh! I will treat you when we stop!"

Lucy perked up a bit at the promise of being relieved of her headache. "Okay! Thank you!" She whispered back.

Unawares to the two girls, Natsu had been eavesdropping. He figured it had to be something like that. He yelled up to Erza at the front of their group in a whiny voice, "Erza! I'm starving! Can't we stop for just a bit? I'm melting in this heat!"

"Fire mages don't melt in heat," Erza stiffly replied.

"That's true, but I am hungry!"

"Flame heads don't melt, but ice mages do," Gray grumbled.

"Okay, fine!" Erza yelled. "Just for a quite snack."

Lucy looked at Natsu with a bewildered stare. _Did he just do that because he overheard what I said?_ Lucy smiled at him warmly, still planted in the same spot.

Natsu returned her stare blankly and said, "It's a good thing we're stopping guys. Lucy's getting weird again!"

Exasperated, Lucy turned a bit red in the face and stiffly marched off the road with the rest of the group.

Natsu watched her go and chuckled to himself; she was just too easy to tease.

Everyone fell into their usual routine and began preparing lunch. Wendy pulled Lucy away into the cover of some bushes close by.

Wendy said, "Ok, just close your eyes and stay still," to which Lucy closed her eyes and nodded.

Wendy placed her hands on either side of Lucy's head, not quite touching her. The blue haired mage closed her eyes, and her hands flared blue. Lucy felt the effects immediately and sighed in relief.

Wendy pulled away after a few moments of administering the treatment. Lucy slowly opened her eyes and experimentally moved her head around.

"It's gone! Thank you, Wendy!" Lucy laughed and gathered the young girl up in a huge hug.

Wendy laughed with her and said, "You're welcome! You should have told me sooner. The enchantment should last 12 hours, but in the meantime, get a good meal, drink lots of water and tell us if you need a break, ok?"

Lucy nodded, "K!"

The girls emerged from the bushes and began helping with lunch. They were having dried fish, fruit and some bread that had gone a little stale.

Happy bit into the chewy fish and wrinkled his nose. "I wish we could have some fresh fish!" He said as he glided past Lucy.

Erza replied, "Well, maybe we can find a place to fish this evening. We will continue to follow the river for some time yet."

Charle turned her head away from Happy and retorted in a dignified way, "I think we should learn to be happy with what we have."

Lucy was eating too ravenously to take part in the conversation at all. She hadn't eaten much of her breakfast, and once Wendy had treated her, she found that she was starving.

Suddenly, Charle gasped and jerked upright. There was a shocked, far away look on her face. Everyone looked to her in alarm. Then, just as fast as it had started, it was over.

Charle looked down to hide her face and try to regain some composure. She was still in shock of what she just saw. After a moment of silence, Wendy was the first to ask. "What did you see Charle?"

"It wasn't anything, Wendy."

"That didn't look like it was nothing," Erza chimed in. "You're shaking."

Frustrated, Charle stood up and replied, "There is no sense in getting worked up over these visions. They are not even absolute. If I was concerned about it, I would say something. I'll keep an eye out for anything more solid, but for now, it isn't even worth discussing."

The truth was that it did shake Charle up, but she didn't want to cause a panic to the group. She just didn't trust what she saw. It was in the middle of summer now, but in her vision, Natsu sat on frozen ground, surrounded by mist, desperately clutching a dead Lucy to his chest.

Charle shuddered and subconsciously looked at Lucy with a worried expression. The girl had gone back to eating her lunch, and Charle's look went unnoticed by group, except that Natsu was watching and weighing Charle's expression.

When the white exceed made eye contact with Natsu, she shook a bit. Natsu stared back at her with an intense, questioning gaze, but Charle turned away and flew to Wendy's side. She avoided looking at Natsu for the rest of the day.

The group of mages finished eating and went on their way. The afternoon passed much like the rest of the day had, with lots of walking, laughing and bickering.

Even Erza was a little wilted by the time evening rolled around. The heat of the summer sun was sweltering, and there hadn't been much of a breeze all afternoon. Finally, Erza announced that she thought they should call it an early day and stop for the night before they were all delirious from heat stroke.

"I don't even know what you guys are so worked up over. It's not even really hot," Natsu commented a little too happily as the group tiredly pulled off the road. "I'm just glad we're not riding anything."

Gray shot the fire mage a nasty look. "Shut up! We're not freakishly built of warped body parts like you are."

"Ha! You wish you were that cool."

Gray was too tired to even reply to Natsu's jab.

After all the fuss Lucy had caused this morning, she didn't dare complain, but she was secretly elated when Erza gave the command to stop. This meant she could find a quiet, shady spot to work on her book a bit before the sun went down.

The group set up camp quickly and without exchanging much conversation. Once the chores were taken care of, Lucy gathered her writing things and began to make her way out of the camp.

Charle seemed a little alarmed and asked, "Oh! Lucy, where are you going?"

Over her shoulder, Lucy answered, "I'm just going to search for a quiet, cool place to work on some things before dinner. I'll be back in a while." She turned and smiled at Charle over her shoulder and continued walking out of camp.

Natsu was still unnerved by the exchange he had with Charle earlier, and he watched her closely now. She seemed anxious about Lucy leaving the group, which meant that it was possible that something could happen. Natsu continued to watch Charle shift from foot to foot as if she was internally debating something, but once again, she chose not to say anything.

Natsu got up and announced that he was going for a walk and left in the opposite direction that Lucy had. He didn't want any of the others to suspect that something might be wrong, but if Charle was concerned about Lucy going off alone, it meant there was a potential danger. That was not a risk he would allow with any of his friends.

Charle watched him leave, knowing the real intent behind his decision, but since they were together in her vision, it did not comfort her in the least.

Lucy had been walking for a few minutes. She was slowly picking her way through some thick bushes, working towards an opening ahead. When she finally rounded the last bush, she softly gasped and stood in awe. What she was seeing looked like a dream.

There was a large willow tree next to a pond that fed into a sluggish stream a little ways away. The sun glinted and shimmered off the water throwing dancing sun bursts against the tree. The grass under the tree was a deep emerald green with tiny white flowers sprouting throughout; the grass looked soft and springy. There were small white butterflies fluttering about above the grass and water.

Lucy stayed still a moment longer, fearing that if she moved, she might break the spell. Finally, she gently began making her way towards the tree. The grass was just as soft as it looked. She enjoyed the scenery a moment more and pulled out her parchment, ink and quill.

She hadn't had a free second to write in a while; so, she had lots of ideas tumbling over each other in an effort to get out of her skull. She tried to put her quill to the parchment and write, but everything seemed to be distracting her, the feel of the tree's bark against her back, the warm sun lighting up the water and falling in dappled rays across her parchment, the sound of birds softly singing, and the butterflies that continued to lazily flutter through the grass. It was so perfect it made her heart ache.

Lucy was still mesmerized by the scene before her, but soon, she began to feel sleepy. After fighting it for a few minutes, her head finally dropped to her chest. She began to dream.

Natsu had circled back around the camp and picked up Lucy's trail right away. She was making slow progress; so, he hung back and followed at a leisurely pace. When he finally made it to the mouth of the opening that Lucy had disappeared through, he peeked through the bushes and saw that she was settling herself against a tree.

He decided to find his own tree where he could easily keep her in his site. There was a tall one not far away that suited his needs. He was as quiet as possible when climbing. She would be pissed if she knew he were spying on her. _Well, I'm not actually spying; I just want to make sure I know where she is. Still, she'd be mad._

He sat near the top of the tree, hidden by the leafy branches. It was perfect. After surveying the scenery for a few minutes, he looked in on Lucy again. Why did she pick that place, he wondered. The tree was old and dead, the ground was littered with rocks and sticks, and the pond next to is was murky and dark. It was not the kind of place he'd imagine she'd choose to rest. _Oh well, she can sit where she wants._ He leaned back to let the sun fall on his face and watch the clouds lazily pass.

Lucy's dream began to change. Before, she had been walking through a wooded meadow and looking for her quill that she dropped along her way. She had so much to write and was forgetting more and more with every passing moment. She was frantically searching when a small little girl ran out into the clearing and stopped in front of her. Lucy stopped her searching and looked at the girl.

The child was joined by another older child, a boy. Lucy gasped over how adorable they were. The children and her stared at each other for a moment before the boy spoke up. "Mom, can we got home now?"

_Mom?_ Lucy looked around and found that there was no one else in the clearing with them. "Uh..ha,ha...I think you may be a little confused. Are you lost?"

"No, and I'm not confused. Stop playing around! We promised Dad we'd be home before dark."

_Dad?! Who are these kids?_ "I'm more than happy to help you find your way home, but I'm not your Mom. Have been wandering around for long?"

The little girl approached Lucy and placed her arms around her waist, and said, "Mommy, I'm really tired now. Can we please go?"

They were really starting to freak her out. "Look kids. I don't have any children; I've never even really had a boyfriend."

Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes, and the boy sighed in frustration. "Why are you saying this? Don't you know who we are? We've only lived with you since we were born! Stop trying to scare us and come on. Dad's waiting!" The little boy turned his back on them and began walking out of the clearing.

"What's your Dad's name?" Lucy called after him.

"Tch. You know Dad's name. He brought you to Fairy Tail when you guys were young after all."

Lucy gasped. She looked down at the little girl in her arms, blonde hair, onyx eyes. She looked up at the little boy who stopped and turned back to her, pink hair, brown eyes. It can't be….

_No way! What's happening to me? This has to be a dream, but it feels so real. This little girl in my arms feels warm and real._

It was painful. Lucy clutched her chest in an attempt to quiet her frantic heart beats. Her feelings for Natsu were a secret she kept closer to her heart than anything else. She buried those feelings so deep that sometimes she wondered if they were still there. Children. They were her second most secret wish; she wanted a family of her own someday.

The little boy screamed, immediately bringing her out of her thoughts. Lucy's head snapped up, and panic squeezed her heart until she thought it'd explode. A black dragon landed in front of the boy, threatening to blow all three of them over with the wind from it's great wing beats. Its breath came out in icy, wet blasts, an ice dragon. With every step, ice crystals crackled and exploded into existence on the ground, spreading like webs of ice.

Lucy launched herself to her feet and pushed the little girl behind her; she raced to the little boy and gathered him up behind her as well. She would die to protect these children, her and Natsu's children.

The dragon roared so loud it made her heart trip and lungs vibrate in her chest. She left the children behind her and began advancing towards the dragon.

"RUN!" She screamed back at them as she ran towards her death. The dragon watched her with a lethal look in its black eyes. Lucy didn't dare to look back at the children. The last thing she heard before she died was Natsu screaming her name.

She turned at that, just to catch one last glimpse of him. He was across the clearing, but he looked all wrong. He shimmered and faded in and out, like an apparition, but the look of fury and worry on his face was always apparent.

Lucy's heart gave one last flutter at seeing and hearing him; then, she was enveloped by the cold, dark.

No more than a few minutes had passed since Natsu had looked down on Lucy where she sat under the dead tree; he thought she may have been asleep.

Suddenly, Lucy's voice rang through the trees. "RUN!" It startled Natsu so badly he almost fell out of the tree. He righted himself just in time to see Lucy running straight into the arms of some kind of black water demon that stood at the edge of the murky water.

Natsu immediately bolted down to the bank of the pond. He screamed her name, but she was already too far into the water demon's body. Just after he yelled to her, Lucy turned toward him with a strange look on her face, and with that, the retreating water demon drug her down under the water with it.

Natsu frantically searched the water to see what direction the demon would go. Suddenly, Happy was at his side.

Natsu turned to Happy not at all surprised to see him and said, "It took her! We have to be quick!"

"Aye!" Happy grabbed a hold of Natsu and took to the air. From there they could see the demon traveling South across the pond and dragging Lucy with it. Happy sped up to full speed and launch Natsu into the water.

When Natsu entered the water, the demon stopped and roughly cast Lucy aside. Natsu stole a quick glance at her. There wasn't any sign of Lucy being conscious, or even alive. She was merely suspended in the water, her body completely limp and her hair fanning out around her.

Natsu turned to the demon and wasted no time in sending a series of fireballs in its direction. The fireballs did not last long under water, but they were effective.

The demon was hard to track because it was merely a dark shape in the water, but it seemed to dislike heat and light. Natsu successfully fended it off long enough for him to reach Lucy.

He sent as much fire as he could manage in the water around him and propelled himself and Lucy to the surface. He called to Happy, "The bank!"

Happy immediately plucked Natsu, who was holding Lucy, from the water. The blue exceed struggled to keep them both up and fly fast enough to get them away from the pond before the water demon could retaliate. "You can do it Happy! We're almost there!"

"...aye…," Happy puffed through his exhaustive efforts.

Finally, they managed to make it to an open space a safe enough distance away from the water. Happy's flying ability ran out, and they all fell the last few feet to the ground. Natsu immediately laid Lucy down and pulled her wet hair away from her face.

"She's not breathing."

Happy began to panic, "...Lucy…"

Natsu looked calmer than he felt. He'd never done this before, but he had seen it done. He tilted her head back, placed his mouth over hers and gently blew a puff of warm air into her lungs….nothing….

He blew another puff of air into her and waited; her lips felt so cold. He never really gave kissing much thought, but he sure didn't imagine the first time his lips met a girl's would be like this, would be him trying to breathe life back into Lucy's body. He might have really enjoyed this if the circumstances had been different.

After four or five breaths, he was really starting to get panicked. Just as he was going to blow more air into her, she convulsed a coughed up a few mouthfuls of water. She drew in a ragged breath, and Natsu dropped his head and sighed in relief.

Lucy attempted to focus her eyes on her friend. She softly breathed his name and fell back unconscious. Natsu asked Happy to carefully gather her things by the pond, keeping an eye out for the water demon.

Natsu lifted Lucy as gently as he could and swiftly carried her toward their companions. He carefully monitored her to make sure that she continued to breathe. When they entered camp, everyone jumped up and ran over to them shouting questions and trying to help.

They got Lucy onto a few dry blankets while Wendy administered emergency treatment to the girl and purged the remaining water from her lungs. The rest pressured Natsu for what happened. He explained as best as he could, but he wasn't totally sure of what happened himself.

Lucy opened her eyes, "...Natsu….," she said weakly; he was immediately by her side. She looked away from him and towards everyone gathered around her. "What happened?" she managed in a raspy voice.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Gray said with a concerned look. Lucy thought back and tried to remember. Suddenly, clear as the people standing before her, it came rushing back. She darted a nervous, heartbroken look at Natsu, who looked at her questioningly. Lucy's cheeks flamed, and she looked away.

"Well?" Erza asked.

After a pause, Lucy started, "I found this beautiful clearing by the lake. It was one of the most beautiful places I had seen."

"What do you mean?"

Everyone looked to Natsu. "That clearing wasn't beautiful at all. In fact, I wondered why you picked it to sit and rest. It was dead, dark and looked uncomfortable."

Lucy was taken aback and replied, "Well, it didn't look like that at all to me. It was lush, green and peaceful. It was perfect. Then, I got tired and must have fallen asleep. I began to dream…."

"What did you dream?" Wendy chimed in.

Lucy looked down with a blush creeping up her face. "Well...I, uh...remembered and felt things that I thought I had locked away long ago. The next thing I know, I'm here." She skipped over the embarrassing parts.

"That's not very helpful," Gray said thoughtfully.

Erza asked, "What did you see Natsu?"

"I was sitting in a tree and heard Lucy scream to run. I look over and she's running towards this dark blob of water standing at the edge of the pond. She entered its body, and it took her under the water. Happy and I fished her out and brought her back here."

"It sounds like a mogal," Erza said thoughtfully. When everyone looked at her blankly, she continued, "They are water demons that have the ability to cause people to hallucinate. People will see their greatest desires or their greatest fears, and using that knowledge, it will lure people into the water and to their deaths."

Lucy let out a soft sob, and everyone looked at her. "I need to get her in some dry clothes and resting," Wendy said to the group. "Can you boys put the tent up and place Lucy's pack and some blankets in there? Also, Natsu, if you could heat up some water, it would really help."

"Yeah."

"Sure thing," the boys replied.

Lucy's heart hurt so bad. The vivid dream conjured up so many feelings and hopes that she'd locked away and kept secret. She felt exposed, vulnerable and heartbroken; she was heartbroken that it wasn't real, when it felt so much like it was. She wanted those children. She couldn't even bear to look Natsu in the eye. She turned and cried into Wendy's lap. Wendy gently stroked her hair and thought she was crying because she was afraid and exhausted.

Natsu listened to her cry as he worked and fought the urge to go comfort her. Something about the way she had looked at him earlier stopped him, almost crestfallen. He caught himself thinking about when he had placed his lips on hers; her lips were so cold. He imagined how different it would feel if he planted his lips on hers while she is awake. He imagined they would….he shook the thoughts out of his head. _What am I thinking? She almost died._

Once Lucy was in dry clothes and resting in the tent, Natsu sought out Charle, who turned her back to him when she saw him coming.

Natsu said to her anyway, "I don't think we have anything to worry about now. I saved her."

"Was it cold?"

"Huh?!" Natsu panicked for just a moment thinking that Charle had meant Lucy's lips.

"When she was attacked, was it frozen and cold? Was the ground icy?"

"Oh," he said in relief. "No, it's the middle of summer, and that water demon didn't have that kind of ability."

"Then, you have not saved her. What happened to her just now was not what I saw." With that, Charle glanced at him over her shoulder and flew off.

Natsu stared at the ground in shock. _Just what did she see?_

Lucy lay in her tent alone; she felt pretty lame to have caused such trouble for the second time in two days. It was humiliating; she wanted to be strong like the rest of them. She was recounting all that had happened in the last hour when something clicked in her mind.

Earlier, Natsu had said that he didn't understand why she had picked that spot to sit and rest, which meant that he must have been there before she was attacked. He knew that she had chosen that spot and sat down to spend some time there. _Did he follow me? Why?_

Lucy listened to her teammates move around the camp outside the tent. Her heart still ached. That dream conjured up these feelings she had laid to rest; she wanted so much to believe it might have been real. Those children looking up at her with their eyes pierced her. She fell asleep trying her best to bind her broken heart together.

* * *

I would love it if you would let me know what you thought. Have a beautiful day! - Cambria Jane


	3. The Separation

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. This is a fan written fictional story using the original characters created by Hiro Mashima.  
Image credit goes to MeLikeCan on Deviantart

* * *

Lucy woke up when she felt movement around her. She dazedly opened her eyes and found that it was dark. Alarmed and unfamiliar with where she was, she bolted up and made a move for her keys. Erza stopped her with a hand on her arm, "It's just us Lucy. Go back to sleep."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and fell back against her blankets. She was surprised to find that her throat ached and burned, and suddenly, everything that had happened came flooding back to her. Her body stiffened as dread filled her stomach. She couldn't believe she has caused so much trouble, again; it was humiliating.

"Lucy….," Erza brought her out of her thoughts. "Yeah?," Lucy croaked, her voice dry and hoarse. "We've decided that we're going to stay here for a couple of days; then, we'll continue on. It's still several day's walk until we get to the Eastern side, but we want to scout out this area thoroughly for any encampments, since it is a direct route to town."

Lucy knew that they were really staying for her sake, probably to let her rest. No one else had anything to say; so, she hastily replied, "Are you sure that's a good idea, Erza? The longer we wait, the more people can be hurt and the more damage the raiders can do."

"That's a chance we will have to take. We need to be thorough in our search to protect the townspeople, and sweeping this area for any signs of camps is a priority right now."

"Ok," Lucy said in a defeated tone. I don't want them babying me. I can handle it.

The tent fell quiet, and she wondered who was where. Erza was on her left; Natsu usually slept on her right….. Lucy let out a soft gasp as the memory of her vision surfaced. Her stomach churned and flipped as the wound was ripped open again. She bitterly wished that she had stayed asleep.

She slowly glanced around to see if she could gauge who was next to her. Erza was on her left as usual, but Wendy was on her right. Despite her desperate attempt to remain indifferent, she felt her heart plunge into her stomach. Her thoughts raced through her mind.

_Why does my heart feel so distraught? It's probably just a coincidence. I don't want to face him right now anyway; so, it's a good thing. Wendy probably just wants to keep an eye on me. I wish I was far away from all of them right now….._

Lucy sat up and started pulling her boots on. Erza immediately asked, "What are you doing?"

Lucy answered a little breathless, "I need some air."

Erza sat up, "I'll come wi.."

"No." Lucy cut her off. She winced in the darkness; her voice was more harsh than she had meant it to be. She softened her voice before replying, "I just need some water and to walk around a little bit. That's all. I think I'd rather go alone for right now." She turned her head towards Erza in the dark and let her smile bleed into her voice, "I'll be ok. I promise."

Erza, still sitting up, was reluctant to let her go, but laid down again after a few moments.

Lucy whispered, "Thanks," and left. She knew everyone was still awake, but no one said anything. After checking to make sure she had her keys, she left the tent as quickly and quietly as she could.

She gulped in the cool night air and made her way for the water tin they kept by the fire. The water wasn't cold, but she drank it down greedily until she could feel the water sloshing around in her belly.

Now that she was outside, she really didn't know what she should do. She just wanted to be alone and away from the group, where they couldn't look at her with concern and pity. What she really wished she could do was take a hot bath in her own home. She wandered off down the path, not knowing what she was looking for.

When they had heard Lucy's footsteps fade, Gray asked Erza, "Are you really ok with letting her go out alone? She had a traumatic experience today."

"I know. I'm worried too, but I think she feels the need to be alone right now. Sometimes that is the best way to heal yourself. Something happened to her before she went into the water, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it."

Natsu had been listening and fighting the urge to go after Lucy since she left, but that look still stayed him. She had never looked at him like that before. Still, she can't go alone. Everyone heard Natsu's inaudible whisper to Happy, whose only response was the fly out of the tent silently. They were all still worried but felt a little better; Happy would watch over her.

_As Happy left, Natsu thought to himself. When Erza asked her about what the demon had showed her, her eyes filled with tears, and she looked at me in fear, like I had hurt her or done something to her. In that moment, I could feel her pulling away and repelling me. I don't understand it. Maybe she remembered that our mouths had touched, and she is upset with me. What was I supposed to do?! Had her mouth ever been on anyone else's? Maybe she was mad that I was the first? That can't be it. She was unconscious; I'm sure she doesn't even know about it. Even so, I can't get it out of my mind. I've never really even thought about kissing, but ever since I placed my mouth on hers, I want to kiss her for real. I want to know what it would feel like for her lips to be warm and moving against mine, instead of cold and dead. What does that mean? Do I care about her or am I just curious? I mean, I know I care about her, but do I really, really care about her?_

Natsu ruffled his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. _Would that really make her angry if I did want to kiss her? Would that be so bad? There have been plenty of times that I groped her by accident, and some not so accident times, but she never stayed angry. And she never looked at me that way, with fear and pain on her face, clutching her chest like I put a dagger there. What happened?_

"Natsu," Erza said in an even tone. His thoughts fell quiet. "Go to sleep. She will be fine."  
His only response was to roll over and feign trying to sleep. He knew he wouldn't get any rest at all until Lucy was back. He strained his ears, listening for any sound that would give away her return.

Lucy had been walking for some time, careful to make sure that she would know how to get back. The cool air on her skin and concentrating on walking allowed her battered heart a reprieve; still, she never completely forgot. It was always in the back of her mind. After her eyes had adjusted to the pale light being cast from the full moon, her thoughts began to bubble to the surface.

_Why do I feel like this? Like something is lost forever? I've daydreamed about what it might be like to be with Natsu plenty of times in the past, and I never felt like this, raw and tattered. Perhaps it is because it felt so real. I saw and touched things that I thought were real. Part of me knew it was a dream, but i thought maybe I had been seeing a vision of our future together. Then, when I found out the demon had just gleaned those feelings from my heart and used them against me, I realized that it didn't mean anything at all. I felt like that whole future was just ripped away, and with it, any promise that we might one day be together. And those children, I feel like they were real and died…. Those exact children will never come to be_.

_I always thought we would just enjoy this time with our friends, and maybe one day, far away into the future, we would grow closer, and I could tell him how I felt. And maybe by that time, he might feel the same way too. Of course, there is always the chance that he would find someone or he wouldn't feel that way, which I don't like to think about, but there seems to a spark between us. I mean, when he looks at me, really looks, I swear there is something in his eyes, affection, love….lust…. something. Her cheeks flamed in the dark. Maybe it's my imagination tricking me into seeing what I wish was there._

A crackle in the bushes interrupted her thoughts. She gasped and turned towards the sound with her whip ready. A rodent of some kind ran out of the bushes and across the path.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, "Heh, I'm getting too jumpy.," she mumbled to herself. She put her whip away and surveyed her surroundings; she hadn't been paying much attention to what was around, only the direction. She had started walking the opposite direction from her previous walk that lead her to the water demon's bank.

She froze when she realized that she heard water bubbling somewhere close by. She was a bit afraid to approach any water around here, but her fear made her angry and bold. She slowly picked her way through the brush towards the sound.

When she broke through the bushes, she came upon a pool that was gleaming in the moonlight. The surface glimmered with the reflection of the night sky, and steam was gently rising and curling into the air. Lucy felt her heart quicken in excitement. A bath was what she wanted more than anything right now.

It was a beautiful place. A small waterfall fed into the pool and filled other pools along its way down the sloping hill. On the far side of the pool, a large wall of rock jutted up into the sky and stretched the length of the river, up and down stream. Most of the pools looked shallow; the pool directly in front of Lucy looked to be the deepest, which was only three or four feet at the most, which would suite her needs perfectly.

Lucy was cautious to approach any water again after what happened earlier that day; so, she reached for her keys to call out aquarius. Once the incantation was said, the mermaid celestial spirit appeared, scowling at Lucy. "Don't call me out using dirty puddle water!"

Lucy looked down, not in the mood for Aquarius' backbiting. She says such things even when she was called out with a beautiful mountain spring. Lucy lifted her head with a glint in her eyes and said, "I need a favor. Please check the water in this area for any water demons that may live here.

Aquarius turned to her. "Oh, that's right. You were almost drown today."

"Just do it," Lucy whispered. Aquarius could tell that Lucy was upset, especially since she didn't even acknowledge her dig at her.

"Tch," Aquarius turned to the pool and let water flow from her urn. The water flowing from Aquarius plunged into each little body of water and went up and down stream.

After she was satisfied, she turned to Lucy, "It's clear. Don't call me out for a while." And with that, she left Lucy standing alone.

She continued to stare at the ground for a few more moments before she sighed in frustration and turned to find a low branch to hang her clothes on._ I don't understand why it's in Aquarius' nature to be so nasty. I wish I could be friends with her, but I seriously doubt that will ever happen._

Lucy began to slide out of her clothes and \hang them on the branch she found. She pulled the band from her hair and shook her head so that her hair fell around her shoulders.

She pulled off her boots and decided that it would be better to keep her breast band and little shorts on, just in case someone from camp came looking for her. She walked to the edge of the largest pool and peered over the side. Even with the light from the moon, the water was inky and black just past the surface. It could almost be endless.

She stepped in and hissed when the hot water touched her skin. It felt almost to the scalding point at first, but she quickly became accustomed to it. She laid back and allowed her body to float on the surface; sighing, she looked up at the sky and studied the stars.

Happy had followed Lucy all the way to the edge of the river. He watched Aquarius check the area and Lucy enter the pool. He wanted more than anything to go join her, but Natsu had told him to come and let him know what she was up to if she ever stopped somewhere.

With a heavy sigh, he cast a longing look over his shoulder at the steaming water and began making his way back to camp. Halfway there, he ran into Natsu, who looked a little sheepish to be found out.

"Natsu!"

"Hey, Happy. I couldn't sleep; so, I decided I would come find you. I wish she would just stick around us. All this running off is troublesome, especially since we have to sneak around to keep an eye on her. What is she doing?"

"Oh, she's swimming!" Happy beamed.

"WHAT?!" Natsu roared in an angry growl.

"Shhh! Everyone will know we're spying on her!"

"Why would she do that after what happened today?! Does she have a death wish?" Natsu plunged ahead without hearing more.

Happy clung to his shoulder, trying his best to calm Natsu down. "Wait, Natsu! It's a small hot spring, and she had Aquarius check all the water before she went in."

At that, Natsu stopped and huffed. "Well...that's good, but still. Why does she have to go off alone? Why doesn't she just tell us what happened instead of looking at me weird and then avoiding me all together. It's really starting to frustrate me."

"Aye. Something is really weird with her right now," Happy replied solemnly.

"Well, let's go check up on her anyway."

Natsu and Happy walked to the hot spring, and Happy explained what the terrain was like. They decided that Happy would fly them to the far side of the pools so that they could hide in the wall of rock.

After flying across, they began making their way up to the top of the little cliff. They reached a cropping of rock that would hide them from view. Looking down, they could see that they were about 20 ft up. Even from this height, they could see Lucy clearly.

Natsu focused on her and was caught off guard by what he saw. Lucy lay floating on the surface of the pool, her arms and legs relaxed. Her hair fanned out around her head and shoulders and danced with the movement of the black water that reflected the night sky.

Around Lucy, the air and water shone with a flickering, pale green light, her magic. She was so beautiful it seemed unreal. She was hardly wearing anything at all…

With this thought, Natsu quickly averted his gaze with a blazing blush spreading across his face. Fortunately, it went unnoticed by Happy, who was still sulking about not being able to swim in the hot spring.

Both jumped at Lucy's angry voice echoing through the air. "I know you're there! You might as well just come out and face me!"

Startled out of their wits, Natsu and Happy guiltily began to stand up, but no sooner had they rose to their feet to come down, a large man emerged from the bushes on the opposite side of the bank. Quick as lightning, Natsu ducked down again dragging Happy with him.

Lucy slowly stood in the pool, water dripping from her hair and down her body, whip and keys in hand.

"I don't know why you're here or what you're intentions are for spying on me, but let me properly warn you that if you don't leave right now, I will have no choice but to destroy you." Natsu studied Lucy closely; there was steel in her voice that he had not heard before. Her chest heaved up and down with her angry breaths.

Despite being upset and worked up, Lucy fought back a shiver as the chill night air hit her warm skin that had been heated by the pool. _I will not show weakness to him, shivering is weakness. I will not shame myself again…._

The man laughed a hearty, mocking laugh that filled the canyon and echoed off the rock walls. "Oh, really, and just how do you intend to do that, a young girl like you, all alone, mostly naked in the woods late at night." He licked his dry lips and grinned a wolfish smile at Lucy.

Something about that look made Natsu's stomach flare in anger; he waited for the right time to present himself. He would make him pay for looking at her like that.

That grin made Lucy's skin crawl, and she had to fight back a shiver of an entirely different kind. She studied him closely in the darkness. He was well over six feet with muscles chorded over his bare chest and arms. His black hair fell to his shoulders in tangled knots. He looked to be in his 30's, and his face and chest were decorated with scars, which made his grin all the more gruesome. Still, despite his intimidating looks, she would not give.

She responded, "I'm not a defenseless damsel caught in the woods. I'm a member of Fairy Tail and well equipped to handle myself. I'm not playing around with you!"

"That may be true, but I'm sure going to enjoy making you see the foolishness in your words. And just let me say," he lowered his voice to a husky whisper, "I intend to play around with you….."

At his suggestive look, Lucy lunged forward with her whip and flicked him on the cheek. His head snapped back and a long line of blood well up along the side of his face. "I'm going to make you regret that girly. You're going to wish you weren't out alone so late, but who knows, maybe you'll end up liking it."

Natsu had heard enough. He stood up with the intention of obliterating this bastard, but Lucy's voice stopped him. It shook with rage. "I don't need anyone to protect me! Understand?! I am my own person; I am strong enough to protect myself!"

He was ready for her attack this time. Faster than logic should allow, he dodged her whip and launched himself forward, easily closing the gap between himself and Lucy. He delivered a sharp blow to her stomach and another to her jaw, which sent her spiraling backwards.

This was so hard for Natsu to watch. His reflexes were poised to step in when the time came, but the anger and determination in her voice stopped him. She wanted to do this alone.

Happy nervously glanced back and forth between Lucy's body lying on the ground and Natsu's face.

The man let out a sharp laugh that was brought short by Lucy's soft, breathless one. "Why are you laughing wench? You're in no position to be feeling at ease."

"You fell for it…."

With that, the ground beneath him began to give way. The panicked look on his face only lasted a moment before he disappeared into the hole that opened up under him. Immediately, Virgo was at Lucy's side. "Hime…..shall I prepare the punishment?"

Lucy let out a shaky laugh, "As usual, the answer is no. Thanks Virgo."

The spirit helped Lucy to her feet, and with a bow, was gone.

Natsu was awe struck. He never even saw Lucy call Virgo out or communicate with her. That was amazing! In the past, she has done incantations, but this time, it was seamless.

Lucy brought out a key, and began the incantation that Natsu was thinking of. Gemini appeared by her side, a perfect replica of Lucy. Natsu thought to himself, _It seems that it takes more magical power to call them out without an incantation than to use one. So, she probably uses it sparingly, but still, the fact that she can do it at all, and call out multiple spirits at once on top of it. She really has grown. I didn't even see it before._

Lucy addressed Gemini, "He's not done. I'm sorry to ask this, but it's true that I'm in a weakened state right now. So, I can't do it on my own. I want to finish this quickly."

Gemini nodded.

"Thank you," Lucy whispered. The twin images joined hands and their bodies began to emit a shimmering gold and white light. The man erupted from the hole with darkness billowing around him like something alive.

Natsu watched a little uneasy. It seemed that he was finally manifesting his power. He probably did underestimate Lucy and thought he wouldn't even need to use it. Natsu's chest swelled with pride for his friend. She was a force to reckon with.

The spirit and mage finished their incantation. The air in the clearing grew heavy with electricity, and planets and stars formed and began to emit their own lights. With a word from Lucy, the clearing erupted in a brilliant display. It seemed that light was being sucked from the ground and rising in a pillar into the sky. Lucy looked as if she was about to be pulled from the ground with her hair whipping around her beautiful, fierce face and up towards the sky.

Natsu shielded his eyes, and in a moment, all the planets rushed the man and exploded. The light faded and Lucy's body and hair fell back to their natural state. Gemini waved and disappeared. The man's body lay on the ground, battered and disfigured. He was dead for sure. Natsu knew that Lucy really detested killing, but when the time came, it was a decision she made.

She looked a little unsteady as she swayed where she stood, before finally sinking to her knees. Thinking she might fall any moment, Natsu prepared to jump down. Before he could make the final step, Loke appeared before Lucy. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Loke…."

His only response was to stare at her with his steady gaze for a few moments. "You didn't call me Lucy."

"I could do it on my own."

"You mean you could do it with Virgo and Gemini's help."

Lucy looked down in silence, guilty.

"Why didn't you call me? I could have easily helped you, and you know that."

Lucy let out a soft sob.

"You didn't want to depend on me because I'm a man, right? Is this because of what happened earlier today, the vision with the demon?"

Natsu had been frozen since Loke appeared, but at hearing Loke's words, Natsu's caught his breath and held it, anxious to hear her reply.

Lucy gasped and looked up at Loke. "You saw?"

"Yes. I saw."

She looked down, hiding her face as tears fell to the dusty ground beneath her. "I don't want to be that girl anymore. I don't want to be the girl who causes trouble to her teammates, the girl who has to depend on those she cares about to save her! I want to meet him head on! I want to be a support to him! I want to protect him!"

Natsu listened in confusion. _Him who?_

Lucy whispered, "How did you see?"

"I have the ability see into your conscience from time to time, mainly when you are under a major stress and your life is in danger, which it was. I felt that something was majorly unhinging you and checked in. I knew Natsu was there; so, I didn't appear." Loke fell quiet.

Lucy's whisper was barely audible to even Natsu's sharp ears. "Loke…...Natsu…"

"I know."

"I'm…..."

"I know, Lucy."

Lucy let out a broken sob that was full of the pain she had been holding back. The emotion in her voice was so raw that Natsu's heart hurt just listening to it. She fell forward, and Loke easily knelt down and pulled her into his chest.

"What did that demon do to me?! I've never felt like this! I can't even bare to look at Natsu; it feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest if I even try! I wish I was someplace far away right now! I don't think I can bear being around him much longer," she cried into Loke's chest.

Natsu was completely at a loss. _So, it is me. What did I do? I cause her so much pain she can't look at me or even bear to be around me? What the hell?!_ Natsu angrily turned his back to them, but was still too perplexed to stop listening.

Loke responded, "The effects of those type of suggestive powers will heighten your emotional sensitivity to an agonizing level. That is how they take control of you. You are in so much emotional turmoil, you cannot function or think clearly, which allows the user to highjack part of your brain. Essentially, your emotions are real. The strength of those emotions will not fade. However, the pain and severity will cease after a couple of days. Just bear with it and avoid Natsu until then."

Lucy continued to cry, clinging to Loke. Natsu was desperately trying to process everything he had just heard. _Avoid me? Why? What feelings does she have that would cause that kind of reaction? I will save her the trouble and stay out of her way if that's what she needs. I won't even talk to her if that's what it takes to fix her._

The thought of avoiding Lucy and not talking to her caused a sting in Natsu's chest that came as a surprise to him. Seeing her in Loke's arms like that also caused some surprising emotions. His stomach churned in frustration, and he bitterly wished he could push them apart and comfort her himself. _She would probably just hate me more if I did that._

Lucy's hysterical crying abruptly stopped, pulling Natsu from his thoughts. She finally lost consciousness. Although the hysterics stopped, her breaths still came as shuddering gasps that racked her body.

Loke cradled her in his arms and stood. He looked straight at Natsu with an unreadable gaze. So, he knew I was here the whole time. With that, Loke left, taking Lucy with him.

Natsu made it back to camp and found that Loke had already placed Lucy in the tent without waking anyone up. So, Natsu climbed into his own bed and tried to settle the thoughts that raced through his mind. _So, she had a vision that had to do with me that has caused her so much pain that she can't bear to look at me or interact with me. What could I have done?_

He felt guilty despite himself. As much as it pained and irritated him, he would turn away from her if that's what it took for her to get better. There was that unfamiliar pang in his chest again. He spent the next hour in the dark tent slowly detaching his heart from her. He found in doing so, that he would do whatever she asked or needed of him if it made her happy, even if it caused him discomfort and pain. _If I don't love her, why does thinking about separating myself from her hurt so much? None of that matters, because, starting tomorrow, things will be different….._

* * *

_I would love it if you would let me know what you thought. Have a beautiful day! - Cambria Jane_


	4. Acceptance

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. This is a fan written, fictional story using the original characters created by Hiro Mashima.

Image credit goes to MeLikeCan on Deviantart

* * *

Despite her late night, Lucy woke up before everyone else. She had slept like the dead, but her body ached fiercely from the bruises and injuries that she had accumulated over the last day and a half.

She sat up slowly, careful not to dislodge any of her companions. Gingerly stretching, she fought back a whimper of pain as her body protested the movement. She ignored its pleas to be still and began gathering her things to bathe and dress.

She quickly discovered that she was still only wearing her breast band and shorts; so, she quickly pulled on a Tshirt and gathered more clothes to change into outside.

After pulling on her boots, Lucy left the tent as quietly as she could. She looked to the horizon and saw the first ribbons of sunlight streaming through the dark trees. The others wouldn't be up for some time yet; so, she decided to finish her bath that was interrupted last night. She hastily left the camp and headed for the hot spring.

Natsu woke up to the feeling of a cold chill creeping across his chest. He groggily glanced around in the dim light and saw that Happy had stolen the blanket from him again. For the third time, he reached over and yanked the blanket from the pile that the cat had collected under him throughout the night.

Happy's only response was to grumble something about Charle stealing leaf hats from an elderly frog. Natsu gave him a skeptical look and rolled over while pulling the blanket around his shoulders.

It was only just dawn ;so, he had some more time to sleep before everyone would be up. But instead of trying to sleep, he thought of what had happened the night before. He had agonized over it for a couple of hours before he went to sleep last night too.

He came to the conclusion that he pried into Lucy's life too much; that had to be part of why she was uncomfortable around him. He did push her a lot, but it was only because he cared for her. She was one of his precious guild mates. They had formed a team, and he felt responsible for her, even more so because he brought her to Fairy Tail.

After thinking about it so much last night, he also now knew that deep down he felt more anxiety for her well being than the others because he had developed feelings for her somewhere along the way. He wasn't sure what that meant for their future or friendship, but he couldn't deny it.

With the now familiar pang in his chest, he wondered if she maybe even regretted joining Fairy Tail. She loved the guild and people there, sure, but was it worth the price she paid? It had only been 10 months since they had returned from being suspended in time for seven years. During that seven years, she lost her father, the last of her family. Even considering their strained relationship, that had to be hard. He knew as much due to her depression over finding out. Natsu often wondered if she thought maybe she could have saved her father if she had been there with him at the end.

He never considered that she might have these types of emotions before, but something was majorly wrong, and all he knew was that he played a major role in it. He slowly drifted back to sleep thinking over how he would change it. More than anything, he wanted her to be happy. He would do whatever it would take.

Lucy quickly dressed as the chill began to cling to her wet skin that was heated from her soak in the hot spring. It was as beautiful in the dawning light as it had been last night. When she came to the spring again, she was afraid that the body might still be here, but it looked like Loke cleaned up before returning to the spirit world, for which she was grateful. She didn't want to be reminded of it. She hated taking life.

Shivering uncontrollably, Lucy sighed and sat down on the cold ground to pull on her socks and boots. During her soak, she had thought a lot about what happened here last night. It almost seemed like a dream, but her ribs violently ached and were splotchy with angry, dark bruises, and her jaw and cheekbone were bruised and battered as well.

_Why did he have to go for the face? The jerk._

More importantly, Lucy had decided to speak to Natsu about her feelings. She couldn't stand to distance herself from him again, and she couldn't stand to carry on like she had either. So, talking to him was the only option, to be true to her feelings she had been trying to lock away for so long. He may be oblivious, but he cared for his friends, and she could see in his eyes that he was really worried, which strengthened her resolve. Above all else, he was a cherished friend that she trusted.

_Even if he lets me down, he wouldn't scorn me for feeling this way about him. I'm sure of it._

She was terrified out of her mind, but she also felt a sense of excitement. The worst he could say was that he didn't feel the same, but even that was better than living in fear and despair like she had been since her vision two days ago. She decided to be brave and risk the chance.

She stared out over the spring and thought of how much she wished they were at home right now. She was a little nervous to tell him on a trip like this. If it made things awkward, they would be forced to spend the rest of the time together. Still, this was the decision she made. She didn't want to run anymore, from feelings or anything else. She would absolutely get stronger; she would be worthy of being a member of Fairy Tail, of being with her friends. She would prove that she was worthy of standing by Natu's side. She would one day be capable of protecting them all.

The sun was now rising, and the others would soon be up and moving around the camp. After letting go of her fear, her heart felt light, and she was excited to be back with her friends again.

She stood, and with one last long look over the beautiful spring, she turned to go. As she turned, she was immediately faced with three men that towered over her. They resembled the man she killed the night before, tall, muscular, black hair and riddled with scars. The man in the middle chuckled, and looked at her humorlessly, "We thought you might be back. So glad we were right."

Lucy was too shocked to say anything, but all three men cackled with wicked glee. As she began to back up, she bumped into something solid and felt strong hands clamp down around her waist pinning her arms to her sides. Lucy screamed in agony; she was sure if her ribs weren't broken before, they were now.

The man holding her laughed and squeezed harder, earning a desperate gasp from Lucy. She turned her head over her shoulder to look up into her attacker's face. What she saw made her heart trip. "You," she gasped. "I killed you!"

"Did you?" her attacker replied roughly. She looked up into the face of the man she had killed the night before, but once she looked closely, she saw they were different. The scars were different. "Twins…" she breathed.

"That's right," he sneered. "You killed my brother. He deserves it for letting such a weak, stupid girl best him, but you'll pay for it with the lives of your friends," he said steadily. She could feel the anger and malice in his voice as he dug his fingers into her sides, almost making her lose consciousness from the pain.

"Jeco, come change." The man on the right leaned forward with a look of excitement on his face. He began to walk towards Lucy.

"What are you doing?" she wheezed uneasily. Finally, he stood in front of her and placed a hand on either side of her face and head. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly felt weak and nauseous, like energy and magic were being drained at a rapid pace.

The man removed his hands with a breathless laugh, and Lucy opened her eyes. She was staring at an exact copy of her face, right down to the bruises and cuts. It dawned on her what their intention was. Lucy struggled and tried to fight her captor's tight grasp, but found that whatever he had taken from her left her weak and faint. She finally went limp from exhaustion, and the man holding her let her fall to the ground.

The Lucy copy came to crouch over her and rested his chin on his hand, smiling down at Lucy ferociously with her own face. She heard her voice say, "I'm going to get close to your friends and kill them." Fake Lucy smiled sweetly and turned to leave.

"No!" Lucy's voice broke and hitched with the effort of breathing and speaking; her ribs were making it so hard to draw a breath. "You won't even get close!" she coughed, blood coming to her mouth. She didn't let it show on her face, but she feared that a lung had been punctured.

Fake Lucy turned to glare down at the broken girl. "And why do you think that?" he sneered.

She spoke through the pain. "Natsu's sense of smell is 100 times better than any beast. He will know it's not me!"

She was shocked when the doppelganger laughed; she looked up into her face. He responded, "Don't you underestimate me, stupid girl. What I absorbed from you was your essence, your life energy and magic. So, essentially, I'm wearing a cloak of your essence that will make me look, sound, smell and feel just like you. I even have the same abilities." With that, he stooped down and plucked her keys and whip from her belt.

"No," Lucy coughed and desperately tried to move, but her body was fighting her.

Fake Lucy whispered, "We can't kill you. Our leader desires you; you have a purpose yet. But who knows, that could change. I would enjoy killing you."

Consciousness was quickly escaping Lucy, but before it left her completely, she heard her copy say, "We'll wait until they are frantic to find her. Their relief at seeing she is safe will make them careless. I'll separate the Salamander from the group and dispose of him first, since he will fight the hardest. Then, the wind dragon. Once they are down, the other two will put up a fight, but by then, you will have your trap in place. It will be easy enough. Such luck we found this stupid wench."

Lucy lay where she fell on the ground. Her heart repelled what she was hearing. Not only could she not protect her friends at all, but her weakness might cause them harm. "No way…" she whispered to herself. A last tear roll down her cheek and into the dust before she finally gave in to the quiet darkness.

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I would love it if you would let me know what you thought. Have a beautiful day! - Cambria Jane


	5. The Switch

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. This is a fan written, fictional story using the original characters created by Hiro Mashima.

Image credit goes to MeLikeCan on Deviantart

Happy Saturday my dears! I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. I do it for you, you know. My goal is to post every Saturday morning. If I don't, it means that I am drowning in all my deadlines. So, I'll post as soon as I can drag myself free. I really enjoy hearing from you; so, please don't hesitate to write me or leave a review! I hope you have a beautiful Saturday! xoxo Cambri J.

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Wendy's screech startled the group of sleeping mages awake. Breathless, Wendy fell to her knees at the tent's entrance and poked her head in. "Everyone! Lucy's missing! She never came back last night! I already ran around camp, and I went to the stream. But I can't find her anywhere!"

Erza launched herself out from under her covers. "What?!"

Gray sat up, equally concerned. Natsu and Happy exchanged glances. "Actually, she did come back," was Natsu's glum reply. The others looked at him with questioning stares.

"After she left, I went out to find her. She was attacked by a rebel not too far from here, but she had already defeated him by the time I found her. Loke carried her back here and put her to bed; so, I guess she got up early and went out again." Natsu covered up his lie and decided not to elaborate further. It would just cause more questions if they knew he had been watching over her while she was attacked.

Wendy gasped. "Was she injured?! Is she ok?"

Natsu glanced at Wendy and answered, "I don't know. I didn't talk to her; Loke brought her back. It seems he thought she was ok enough to put her to bed without telling anyone."

Erza thought aloud. "Well, that proves that there are raider encampments around, doesn't it? They almost seem to be targeting her intentionally. Why would she leave again, and where would she go without us so early?"

Natsu replied, "She may have gone back to the spring. Happy, will you go check?" The blue exceed bolted out of the tent and was gone.

Gray got up and went with Wendy and Charle to get some water, leaving Natsu and Erza to put away the tent and bed rolls. Erza eyed Natsu warily, "Did something happen between you and Lucy or something?"

"Huh? No, why do you ask?" Natsu fidgeted with the blanket he was rolling up, not wanting to have this conversation.

"I don't know. I sense something is off with both of you. Is there something worrying you that you're not telling me about?"

Natsu thought for a moment about how much he should tell Erza; he could always trust her to be level and calm. But then again, these kinds of problems are not something you want to be whispered throughout the guild. To realize that you like a teammate is embarrassing enough.

He decided to keep it vague. "I'm just worried about what happened to Lucy. The demon did something to her, and I think it had to do with me. But I don't know what I could have done. She has been avoiding me ever since, and I don't know what to do." He didn't mention that he was also concerned about Charle's vision that she still refused to talk about.

Erza stopped rolling the blanket she held in her hands and looked at Natsu. "You trust Lucy, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she is working through whatever effects that magic had on her. Sometimes it's easier to work out things for yourself. Perhaps she doesn't want to worry us, especially you; so, she's working to free herself. We have to trust her that she will get herself through it, and trust that if she can't, she'll let us know so we can help her. We just need to be patient and support her."

Natsu nodded. She did have a point. Wait. "Why especially me?"

"We brought the water. Still no Lucy?" Gray entered the camp with Wendy following behind him, each carrying a bucket.

Grateful for the interruption, Erza turned to face them. "We'll start looking for her just as soon as you put some clothes on."

Gray looked down at his boxers in shock, which Erza ignored and returned to rolling the last blanket.

When everything had been packed and the night fire's dying embers had been drowned, they divided the bread and cold meat that Wendy laid out, careful to set some aside for Lucy as well.

"Wait!" Wendy yelled as they were preparing to leave. "Shouldn't we leave her something to let her know where we'll be? Just in case she comes back here?"

"Good point," Erza replied, pulling some paper and ink from her pack. She quickly scribbled something down on the paper and stuck it to a tree in the middle of camp with a small knife.

Happy returned just as she finished. He was out of breath and immediately came to rest on Natsu's shoulder. "No luck?" the fire mage asked.

"No," Happy huffed. "I flew all around the areas she's already been, but I couldn't find any new traces of her. Although, I did come across some smells of unfamiliar people.

Natsu was alarmed at hearing that. "Show me."

"Continue on the path towards the hot spring; we'll run into the trail just beyond there."

For the first time all morning, Natsu felt the prickling of fear on the back of his neck. He was trying his best not to be overbearing and get worked up, but it was very possible that she could have been hurt or attacked again. She had done well last night, but he knew she had sustained injuries from that fight and was still recovering from the water demon as well. Could she withstand another run in with an enemy? Natsu pushed such thoughts far from his mind. This girl attracted trouble like no other, but Erza's words came to him. _We have to trust her._

The group had been searching for Lucy all morning and afternoon; so far, they hadn't found any signs of her. The unfamiliar smells that Happy found concerned Natsu, but they led to nowhere. They disappeared almost where they started.

They were all becoming increasingly panicked. No one spoke, but occasionally, Natsu would abruptly change the direction they were travelling.

After a few hours of aimlessly rushing around, Natsu finally paused. "I think we should split up. We'll cover more ground that way; it will be getting dark in a few hours."

"I agree," Erza chimed in. "If we don't find her, we'll meet back at the camp just as soon as it's dark."

Everyone agreed and immediately headed in different directions.

Natsu found it a huge relief to be alone. He could travel much faster on his own with Happy, and he didn't have to hold back his anger and worry. At this point, he was certain that something had happened to Lucy. He wouldn't stop searching until she was safe beside him again. Then, he might not ever let her out of his sight.

Lucy struggled to open her eyes. It was dark. Her mind swam, and her stomach felt uneasy as panic began to swell in her chest. She could hear muffled, echoing voices and could immediately feel that her hands and ankles had been bound with cord. Her hands were pinned behind her back. Even though her body was cold and ached, she forced herself to struggle against the cords to test how tightly they'd been tied.

"Woken up, have you?" came a mocking, feminine voice from somewhere in the dark.

Lucy jumped and whimpered at the pain that flared from the jarring movement. An old handkerchief had been tied around her mouth. She could taste old blood, and the searing ache in her throat begged for water.

The voiced chuckled. "You're probably really hurting, but we've healed your major injuries. It wouldn't do to have you dyin' on us quite yet. We've worked this hard to get you after all…."

Lucy couldn't reply, but looked in vain for the figure in the darkness. As her eyes began to adjust, she could see the outline of a person sitting a few feet from her. There was something familiar about the voice.

Before the figure could say more, a light began to approach them. As it drew closer, Lucy could see it was a woman that had similar features as the men that had attacked her earlier, tan skin, black hair, and a few scars. Even with the scars, she was still beautiful. The woman snarled at Lucy's mystery companion, "Jecco! This is where you have been! We are to switch places; Mainus wants to see you right now."

The light shone on the person who sat beside Lucy. Looking up, she was still startled at seeing her own face and body being worn by someone else. _That's right. Jecco was the man that shape shifted into me._

"What?! I'm not switching places with you! I've already shifted!"

"Oh… You want me to tell Mainus that you're defying him? That will go over well, I'm sure," the woman mocked in a false, sweet voice.

"You're lucky I don't kill you Morgana."

The woman set the light next to Lucy's face, which kept her from seeing what took place in the darkness.

After a few moments of silence, Jecco's gruff, male voice broke the silence. "If you screw this up, that'll be the end of you. You know that, right?"

A soft laugh was the reply, "Yeah."

Lucy could barely make out a tall, broad figure retreating in the dark, which left her alone with the woman. _Morgana was her name._

Morgana picked up the light and shone it on Lucy's face. Squinting in the brightness, Lucy tried to look up into her new captor's face.

Without warning, the woman grabbed a fistful of Lucy's hair and yanked her up to sitting position. Lucy fought the urge to cry out. She had lain without moving on the cold, stone ground for so long that any movement was agonizing, especially the places that she had been injured.

Morgana leaned forward until the light shone eerily on her face, showing that she had taken on wearing Lucy's shape. The woman studied Lucy closely for a moment and roughly threw her to the ground again. Tears streamed down Lucy's face, but she did not cry out.

"Being brave won't get you anywhere," the woman sneered nastily. "We will break you until you are unrecognizable. Your comrades could be standing right in front of you crying your name, and you wouldn't know who they are.

The thought of not knowing the people she loved wrung her heart to the point stealing her breath. She could never let that happen; she would willingly die before she would forget them.

"I see the defiance in your eyes, but it's not like you would have a choice. You wouldn't forget them, but you wouldn't recognize them for who they are. I'll tell you a secret." Morgana leaned in close to Lucy's face and whispered, "Your love for them is the key to breaking you."

She viciously laughed and returned to sitting next to Lucy.

They heard footsteps approaching again. "It's almost time to go; so, we're headed to the front now."

"Back so soon Jecco? Just couldn't take your eyes of her, could you? I'll bet you-."

"Shut up! Gather your stuff and worry about yourself. The Salamander absolutely must believe you're her. You know what will happen if you fail."

Jecco walked to Lucy and roughly gathered her in his arms. "You get to come with us and watch," he remarked in amusement. "This will be fun."

Jecco carried Lucy through the stone tunnels in silence. Morgana walked closely behind. After a couple of turns, Lucy could see a light at the end of the tunnel. It became apparent that they were in a cave. Lucy tried to remember every detail so she could relay the information of their hideout to Erza and the others, if she ever got back. She shook the thoughts from her head; she couldn't afford to think like that.

The mouth of the cave widened considerably at the end. There was a waterfall close by that made a roaring sound and muffled any noises that were made in the cave. Lucy squinted, her eyes not yet accustomed to so much light. Jecco dumped her on the ground next to a stockpile of weapons. Lucy looked them over, bows, axes, swords and javelins. They obviously had magic abilities as well.

Lucy continued to look around. The waterfall fed into a pool that traveled into the cave. Just seeing the water made the ache in Lucy's throat burn. Having the handkerchief in her mouth made it hard to swallow, and it was cutting the corners of her mouth.

Morgana was watching Lucy survey the cave. "Thirsty?"

Lucy studied Morgana in the light. It was so unnerving to see her body from the outside and hear her own voice coming from someone else. Her face looked terrible. She had a black eye, and her left cheek and jaw were bruised and swollen. There were tiny cuts along her cheekbone and the bridge of her nose. That jerk hit her pretty hard after all.

Morgana looked amused as Lucy studied her. "Well? Are you?"

Lucy remembered Morgana's questions and nodded her head. She didn't expect that her request would be granted, but she was desperate enough to try.

Morgana grabbed the back of Lucy's shirt and roughly drug her over to the edge of the pool. Lucy's hands being tied made it difficult for Lucy to lean over and get a drink, but she was eager to attempt it.

Before she could get close enough, Morgana grabbed a fistful of Lucy's hair and shoved her head under the surface of the water. At first, Lucy was alarmed, but she knew that Morgana wouldn't drown her. So, she took advantage and greedily gulped as many mouthfuls of the icy water as she could. The cold relieved the aching bruises and cuts on her face some, but the gag in her mouth made it hard to swallow without choking. She managed to get a few gulps down before Morgana yanked her head out of the water.

"Morgana! What are you doing?" a male voice interjected. Lucy could only work to get air into her aching lungs, but she noticed that it didn't sound like Jecco.

"I'm just helping her get a drink! The poor dear was thirsty," she spat.

The man continued, "Leave her and come here. We need to review the plan before we leave."

Morgana let go of Lucy, and before leaving, whispered in her ear, "Don't get too close. You might meet an old friend."

After she left, Lucy looked at the water in alarm. _It has to be the demon that attacked me before. What else could it be? It makes sense._

Lucy squeaked as the water just in front of her bubbled up and a small dome protruded from the surface. She desperately tried to scramble backwards, but a tendril of water snaked out and wrapped itself around Lucy's wrist.

It was cold, but Lucy immediately felt a wave of calm wash over her. At first, she basked in the feeling, but she soon realized that it was just the effects of the demon's ability. She frantically tried to shake the demon's hold off, but a low gurgling voice stopped her. It was whispery, like water gliding over stones in a shallow brook.

Mesmerized, Lucy stopped struggling and listened. _"Don't be afraid."_

Lucy tried to respond, but realized that this was a voice she heard in her head. So, she thought to it.

_"Why shouldn't I be afraid? You attacked me, and the spell you cast on me almost made me crazy. I almost lost myself."_

_"Yes, I did attack you, but I didn't have a choice. I am a water spirit that guards the rivers of this valley. I protected the people of the valley, but these mages enslaved me using an ancient magic. I am forced to obey what they command me to do. If you can, could you help me escape? There is a stone embedded in me at my core. It binds me and robs me of my physical form as well. The stone is being held by the man with the black beads around his neck. If you could obtain the stone, you could release me."_

Lucy listened to all the spirit had to say; she could just barely make out a small, dark mark in the water that must have been the stone. It was very possible that it was tricking her, and it only wanted to escape. But there was a gentleness in its voice and aura that made her decide to trust it.

_"Do you have a name, spirit?"_

_"I do, but you could not pronounce it. You may call me Dreke."_

Lucy replied, _"I will help you if I can, but as you can see, I'm in a bit of trouble myself. I haven't seen the man you're speaking of, but I will watch for him. I will try my best."_

Lucy smiled at the small column of water. She asked, _"Do you know what they want with me?"_

She could feel a hesitance in her mind, but if it doubted telling her, it decided to continue. _"Yes, I know. They were quite excited when they found out about you. I hear all their planning, and I will tell you everything I can. But we must hurry before they return for you."_

Lucy eagerly nodded.

_"This clan of mages is a very old, reclusive clan that came out of the mountains six months ago. They know magic that has long been forgotten by most. They were excited to obtain you because magic adheres to Celestial Spirit mages remarkably well. Due to the nature of your abilities, you can harbor magic in your body that another being places there, like your celestial spirit's magic becomes your own. They commanded me to capture you. Once I had captured you, they planned to have me break your mind by causing you severe emotional trauma, like what you experienced when I had taken you. When I come in contact with a person, I can see their innermost feelings and desires, and I can also manipulate those feelings and their perception of reality, which can be very effective. The stronger the feeling, the stronger the effects. Your feelings for that boy are deep and some of the strongest that I've seen, which is why my magic had such an impact. I only intended to confound you and make you easy for me to capture, but the strength of your feelings intensified my spell. I must say however. Your heart and mind are immensely strong because you were able to break the spell yourself. Most people will lose their minds if the spell is not removed by myself. I am impressed. It means that you know your own heart, and you trust it. Your heart is your greatest strength."_

Lucy nodded, amazed at what she was hearing.

_"If you cannot escape, they plan to have me bewitch you with the same spell. What a person perceives to be reality in their mind becomes real to them. They plan to have me break you by delusioning you to think that you have lost all the people that are precious to you, especially the boy. Then, I ensnare you by giving them all back, but it is only an illusion. The person embraces the illusion because they want it so badly and they are so desperate to have what was lost returned, but it binds the spell. Essentially, a person loses their mind and heart to the illusion. Then, they become easy to control. Once I have control, I can change the illusion and by doing so, change their behavior. You would not recognize reality; you would not recognize those around you. Your heart and mind would be completely sealed in another dimension, which is your perception of reality. Once this has been done, it is very difficult, almost impossible, to undo. However, you managed to undo the beginnings of it. I was worried about you, but you have proved to me that you're strong. When they have control over you, they plan to fill your body with an evil magic that is so strong, it will eat away at your body and soul. Eventually, the strength of it will kill you, but they intend to use you as a great weapon while they can, which will hasten the decay of your body. For this purpose, they have obtained you._

Lucy stared at the water blankly, shocked at everything he had told her.

_"I am sorry,"_ Dreke commented. He extended another tendril of water from the surface and lightly touched her face. He touched the corners of her mouth, as well as her cheek and the bridge of her nose. His touch was cold, but it immediately removed the pain she felt.

She gasped at the realization that he had healed her wounds. Touched and in awe, she warmly thought, _"You're amazing. Thank you. I will do all I can to save you. I promise."_

She could feel him smile in her mind. He continued, _"It must be hard to hear that you are in great danger, but you are strong. I believe you can overcome this. Your comrades will help you as well. That boy…"_

Lucy perked up at the spirit's mention of Natsu.

_"...he will fight. I could feel it in him. He has a strong heart as well, and he treasures his companions above all else. His heart resonates with yours; he will never give you up. His feelings for you are-."_

Lucy felt an instant recoil in her mind that almost hurt, and with a slight ripple on the water, Dreke withdrew himself from Lucy. She was so intently listening that she did not sense the person coming up behind her.

Jecco roughly grabbed Lucy around the waist and slung her over his shoulder and turned to leave the cave.

Looking back at the pool, Lucy could see Dreke poking the bubble of water that was his head over the ledge. She thought she saw him wave. It made her sad to leave him here with them. _I promise I'll save you Dreke. I promise!_

Jecco joined a group of six people waiting outside the cave. One of them was Morgana, who sneered at Lucy as Jecco passed carrying her.

It seemed to be late in the afternoon. The group walked for sometime. Lucy wished more than anything that they would let her walk on her own. Her hips and stomach were aching from Jecco's massive shoulder sticking into them, and her wrist and ankles ached and burned from the cords.

Finally, the group stopped in a clump of trees. The man leading the group was the shorter one that had first spoken to Lucy when she was captured at the hot spring. He instructed several other members to project a barrier around the group.

Before leaving, Morgana leaned closer to Lucy and whispered, "I'm going to kill your boyfriend."

Lucy struggled, but Jecco pinched her leg savagely, making her stop.

Morgana giggled and walked out of the confines of the barrier the others were constructing. She waited.

Lucy saw Jecco pull a knife from his back pocket and became alarmed. He cut the cords around her ankles before setting her on her feet. It had been so long since she was standing that her legs felt weak and shaky, but she didn't dare let herself fall. He also cut the cords around her wrists and removed her gag.

Jecco said, "You cause any trouble, and I will not hesitate to kill you. Understand? Morgana has your keys and whip; so, it's not like you could do anything anyway."

Lucy nodded and rubbed the sore places around her wrists. If Jecco noticed that the wounds on her face were healed, except for some slight bruises, he didn't say anything.

The barrier was now in place; Lucy could see a thin film, like slightly fogged glass, on all sides.

Jecco continued, "This barrier makes us invisible and is sound proof; so, it will be pointless for you to try anything, regardless of what you see. We can seal a person's essence, including our own, which makes us impossible to track, even when the tracker has the sense of smell of a dragon. But we can also release it if we wish."

Jecco fell quiet, and Lucy grew more uneasy.

Finally, the leader of the small group confirmed that they were ready. "We can proceed now. The girl's companions have split up, and the only one within a mile of us is the dragon. So, he will undoubtedly come. If Morgana is able to defeat him, we will drag his body into the barrier and wait for the next companion to come. If she fails, we will ambush him."

Lucy felt sick at hearing their plan.

Jecco still held the knife in his hand, and he retrieved a small flask from his pack. He roughly grabbed Lucy's hand and casually sliced it open.

Lucy gasped and tried to rip her hand back, but Jecco held it tightly, making her blood flow freely into the flask. "No matter how good we are at wearing a cloak of essence, our blood is not your blood." He grinned at her wickedly.

Jecco shoved Lucy to one of the other members of their group and stood just inside the barrier. Lucy watched Morgana lay herself on the ground. She fanned her hair out amongst the leaves and rolled her hips and legs to the right slightly so that she twisted at the waist. Her shoulders lay flush against the ground, and her left left leg rested on top of her right with her left knee bent just slightly more so that her left foot lay just behind the right. Her right arm was sprawled out with her palm up, and her left arm and hand rested across her chest so that her left hand lay just above her left breast.

Lucy watched how meticulous Morgana was in posing herself and realized that she was trying to position herself to look as beautiful and vulnerable as possible.

Lucy snorted under her breath and thought, _'Like Natsu notices those kinds of things.'_

Once Morgana was positioned perfectly, Jecco stepped out of the barrier and splattered the blood in the flask over Morgana. Droplets fell along her legs, clothes, arms, chest, and face.

Jecco immediately returned to standing inside the barrier, and everyone waited quietly. It was eery for Lucy to watch her body lay like that with her blood splattered all over, and with her bruised face, it really looked like she was dead and someone had just casually flung her to the ground.

Everyone was dead quiet, Lucy strained her ears trying to hear Natsu coming.

Natsu had been searching on his own for a couple of hours, he was slowly making his way to the East in a grid pattern. Happy was with him searching by sky.

Suddenly, a smell filled his nose that caused his heart to drop. It was Lucy's blood.

Panicked, Natsu yelled to Happy, "I smell her blood!"

Natsu took off running as fast as he could towards the smell, and Happy followed just behind. Within a couple of minutes, Natsu burst into the clearing and saw Lucy's body lying on the ground. His heart tripped over itself. She looked terrible; he was almost afraid to approach her out of fear that she was dead.

"Lucy?" he whispered. "Lucy!"

He ghosted to her side and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, are you ok?" He laid his head against her chest and could easily hear her shallow breaths and faint heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lucy, wake up." When she didn't respond, he gently wrapped an arm under her neck and shoulders with the other around her waist and lifted her torso to rest on his bent knee. After he studied her face for a moment, he hugged her to his chest and buried his face in her neck.

Lucy stood behind the barrier and watched him hug Morgana. The look on his face when he came into the clearing was torn between relief and fear. It seemed almost as if he was afraid to approach her body. Lucy had secretly hoped that he would know it wasn't her right away, but when he ran to her side and placed his head on her chest, she knew that he wouldn't know.

Despite what Jecco told her about their impenetrable ability, her heart sank. She knew that he thought it was her, but it still hurt that it wasn't. She wanted it to be her.

Natsu pulled away from Lucy and began to gather her up in his arms; he would need to get her to Wendy right away.

"Natsu…" Lucy's weak voice startled him. He looked down at her and watch her eyes flutter open.

"Lucy?"

"Natsu, I was so scared I wouldn't see you again!" Lucy threw her arms around his neck and cried, "I knew you would find me." The effort of moving made her body tremble, and her voice shook. Her body was cold.

"Hold on Luce. I'll get you to Wendy right away." Natsu began lifting her, but she gasped in pain and clutched her chest.

Alarmed, Natsu set her back down. "I'll bring Wendy here! Just hold on!"

Before he could lay her shoulders against the ground, Lucy clutched his vest and laid her head against his chest. "Wait…please wait." Lucy's voice was so weak that it scared him. "Just stay with me a little longer please! I was so scared. I don't want to be parted from you just yet."

Lucy never said things like this. It terrified him. He couldn't leave her like this. "Happy! Go get Wendy!"

"Aye!" The blue exceed rocketed out of the clearing.

Natsu looked down at Lucy again. "I'll stay."

Lucy looked up at Natsu with pleading eyes. She weakly hugged him around the neck and pressed her chest to his, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Natsu hugged her back. "Did they do something to you, Lucy? Tell me."

Lucy shook her head and let out a quiet sob. "I was just so scared I wouldn't see you again. I wouldn't be able to bear it."

She pulled back slightly, dragging her cheek along his until their noses and foreheads were touching. Natsu's heart pounded. She looked at him with a pleading look on her face, and slowly, she rested her lips against his.

Watching Natsu and Morgana, was slowly making Lucy sick. She couldn't stand to see more. Lucy gasped and brought her hands over her mouth when Morgana kissed Natsu.

Jecco commented, "It was a good idea for us to switch places. I never would have done that. She's a master after all, huh?" The others chuckled.

Lucy watched Natsu's reaction to Morgana's kiss. At first, he was shocked and stared blankly ahead. After a moment, he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, clutching Morgana to him.

Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing. She would never forgive Morgana for taking her first kiss with Natsu away from her. Angry tears rolled down her cheeks.

Without warning, a large, bloody blade ripped through Natsu's back. Lucy's heart seized in her chest, and a scream erupted from her throat. She fell to her knees in disbelief, and what was left of her heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

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I would love it if you would let me know what you thought. Have a beautiful day! - Cambria Jane


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